Sky Sports News reported on Wednesday that the 49-year-old German is the leading candidate on a three-man shortlist assembled by the club, which also includes Ipswich Town head coach Kieran McKenna. Bournemouth want to move quickly and are understood to be aiming to have a new appointment in place within the next fortnight to allow planning for next season to begin immediately â and potentially for European football if the club secures a Conference League place.
Rose has been without a job since RB Leipzig terminated his contract in March 2025 following a run of poor results in the Bundesliga and Champions League. He had been at Leipzig since September 2022. His wider coaching career has taken in spells at Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund and Red Bull Salzburg, where he won the Austrian Bundesliga twice. He is available immediately as a free agent, which strengthens his case in a process where speed matters.
Iraola announced his departure on Monday after the club confirmed it had been unable to agree terms on a new contract. The Spaniard joined Bournemouth in the summer of 2023 from Rayo Vallecano and leaves having set a new club record points total of 56 in last season's ninth-place finish. He could yet add European qualification to that record before his final match at Nottingham Forest on the last day of the season.
Kieran McKenna's candidacy is complicated by Ipswich's ongoing promotion push, which could extend his season into the play-offs. Iñigo Pérez, the current Rayo Vallecano head coach and former Iraola assistant, is understood to be admired by the club but is not on the final shortlist.